Banner plane ditches in lake; pilot OK

A small banner-towing plane ditched in a lake in north Miami-Dade County on Friday after taking off from North Perry Airport and losing power.

The pilot, whose name was not immediately released, escaped from the sinking plane, swam to shore and was treated for minor injuries, said Miami-Dade County fire fighter Jimmy Bou Nassar.

The incident occurred at about 12:45 p.m., when witnesses reported the single-engine airplane, a Piper Pawnee, was having engine trouble and the pilot landed in a lake behind a home at 740 NE 193rd Terr., or about four miles southeast of North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines.

“Apparently, he lost engine power and dropped his banner,” Bou Nassar said. “As he did that, he tried to avoid a crash and landed in the lake.”

The plane is registered to Aerial Banners, based at North Perry Airport. The banner was for a Geico advertisement, Bou Nassar said.